Most of us would see eye to eye that as a motorcyclist, one could summon up the complete vehicle, while as a car driver it's the interior, which flashes back, perhaps since that is where we spend most of the time. Previously, exteriors may have been the principal appeal for consumers, but interior designers argue that it's their division of the car of late that makes or breaks customer satisfaction, even influencing repeat buying decisions.
It’s why the homogenous insides of the cars to come are about to revolutionise. While cars have become safer than ever before, one still has to take life in their own hands to change a radio station, or inadvertently have the windscreen wiped when intending to indicate a turn ahead. The S class and the 7 series with their high levels of sophistication still swank knobs and switches that demand a catalogue the size of 'Atlas Shrugged', the book. Perhaps value engineering must be tackling the 'subjective' car interiors first than say the axle or other mechanical rudiments, which leaves us to wonder where we can dispose the can for which the can holder was provided in the first place! The package limitations are so unyielding and decisive on interiors, the most underestimated component of the design process due to the complexity and its stipulation in terms of the overall design ergonomics.
It is only a matter of time before communication technology envelops car interior design. The unchanged interior of a steering wheel, gauges and buttons since the development of cars from horse driven carriages are yet to offer the levels of sophistication and perception of the interface design in the mobile phone world. Nevertheless a slow but sure change is on the cards considering the traditionalist nature of what the car manufacturers want people to sit behind. It won't stop with transparent head up displays but go beyond the extent of cars being part of a network integrated by communication technology. Enabling downloading and storage of a personalised drive in a memory stick to make ones own simple and clear interface, like one would their desktop. One of the advantages of this bespoke interface design besides the clarity of the information channel is that it can give the feel of a particular automotive brand presently an attribute used in differentiating mobile phones through their interface design.
It would be up to the various brands to differentiate the influx of new technologies and advances in composites, metals, lighting and glazing. Exploiting them to make the interior less claustrophobic with deliberation on ergonomics (in the sensory way) and relaxing the inhabitants in the ever so worsening traffic, further helped by making interiors swappable and customisable. Keeping this in mind, if the designer attends to the needs of the elderly and the impaired, it would mean everyone benefits in the long run. Wouldn't sloping edges to side walks instead of perpendicular dropping kerbs intended for wheel chairs be welcomed by people wheeling luggage? Focusing on this group makes a lot business sense as well considering the expanding ageing population and the fact that they have the most purchasing power. This target audience gets larger when considering able people with temporary injury. Thus opportunities exist from high contrast gauges under glare and sunlight to seats that swivel and slide for easy entry/egress. These features could be publicised as improvements for everyone than callously portraying them as enhancements to serve the elderly or the disabled.
In the next couple of years car interior improvements would imply much more than entertainment systems and cup holders.